Viasat Showcases Government Arctic Capabilities in Canadian Test Flight
As the Arctic region grows in importance for governments, mobility providers, and scientists, Viasat has completed a successful test flight in Northern Canada above 63.5° North Latitude - showcasing high-speed connectivity.

This is another step in Viasat’s ability to provide innovative, multi-orbit solutions and services to meet the changing connectivity requirements of government customers worldwide.
Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, announced successful tests of its steerable beam high-speed GX10 Arctic communications payload in Northern Canada.
The demonstration flight, completed on a Calspan Gulfstream III aircraft, enabled attendees from Viasat’s government and military partners to connect their own devices over more than 600 miles of Arctic territory and showcased the satellites’ steerable Mil-Ka beam capabilities.
The high-capacity GX10A and GX10B payloads are housed onboard Space Norway’s highly elliptical orbit (HEO) Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) spacecraft (ASBM-1 and ASBM-2). The satellites are operated using Space Norway’s secured earth ground stations in the north of Norway, while Viasat’s steerable beams and commercial payloads are controlled from its secure control center in the U.S.
Part of the Communication Services segment and Viasat’s Government Satcom business, the GX10 capabilities strengthen Viasat’s global coverage capabilities with dedicated capacity for the Arctic region and support its roadmap of delivering multi-orbit services.
Their onboard steerable Mil-Ka beams are designed to allow authorized military users to access our wideband capacity as part of their own independent network. This means governments will be able to steer satellite capacity anywhere within the arctic region above 63 degrees North: offering improved reliability and capacity for missions.
Government Mil-Ka connectivity solutions enable mission applications across air, land, sea, and space, including supporting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, border security, emergency response, and special forces operations.
Todd McDonell, President, International Government, said: “After bringing the payloads into service for government customers earlier this year, we’re excited we can now demonstrate how this new capacity and coverage can help enable assured, resilient communications for tactical and strategic government missions, alongside vital research and monitoring in the region. This is another step in Viasat’s ability to provide innovative, multi-orbit solutions and services to meet the changing connectivity requirements of government customers worldwide.”
This is another step in Viasat’s ability to provide innovative, multi-orbit solutions and services to meet the changing connectivity requirements of government customers worldwide.”
Todd McDonell, President, International Government
About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are - on the ground, in the air or at sea, while building a sustainable future in space. In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources of the two companies to create a new global communications partner. Learn more at www.viasat.com, the Viasat News Room or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, and YouTube.
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